Son of Tarzan
by AzumiRocks
Summary: A trader's ship lands on Tarzan's island, and much to the cabin girl's displeasure, she encounters Tarzan, Jane, and their son, Korak the Killer. Read and review, it'll make you dreams come true. Maybe.
1. Dawn's Dusk

SON OF TARZAN

SON OF TARZAN

_Authors Note: In the series of Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan and Jane have a son. The series is really old, and kicks ass. BUT. This story is not like the series if you've read it. Or at least I think it isn't. It's my version of the Korak (the Killer) that Tarzan and Jane have in the Disney version, where there was only one movie, and only one adventure. And no, Meriem is not in this._

Chapter One--Korak the Killer

"Alright men! We're here for one month, and one month only. If anybody gets lost, we leave with_out_ em!" yelled the burly, tall and tanned Captain of the Sera'viina, a trader's ship headed to the Eurasian continent. It was a fairly nice ship-had nice food, nice people-all in all a fine old vessel. As a group of men walked into the thick new jungle terrain to find fire-wood and maybe something fresh to drink by a river, the Captain looked around in satisfaction. The island had been so convenient to have come by, just when the storage hold was getting low. The crew could gather fire and food, and in about a month there would be enough saved up for the long journey back to London, England. Truthfully, the Captain missed his wife, Rosette. She'd had their daughter while he was on a different voyage, and he was itching to finally meet her. Sophie was the little girl's name. He would have sooner, but he got this sudden job offer to ship some silk to the port of Africa, and couldn't make it home AND accept the job at the same time. Besides, the pay had been rather….Pleasant sounding. He would go back and buy Rosette and Sophie matching dresses, and him a tux, and he'd finally take them to church on Sundays like he'd always said he would. Though to tell the truth he didn't really believe that much in the idea of some creator of all things being up in the sky to watch him all day long…..

"Hey Captain." called out a boyish, childish voice from behind him. He recognized it easily, and gave a little sigh, putting a large square hand to his face, rubbing his eyebrows with his fingers. "What do you want me to do?"

"Watch the ship." he said simply, trying to prolong what he knew was coming. A long talk from an aggravated teenager.

Teenagers were the worst.

Walking up to the Captain, a girl with long dark brunet hair and a glare that could rival a serial killers folded her arms. "I've been doing that for months. What do you want me to watch for? The rats taking a rest in the floor boards?" she said in a lame sort of way. Pulling his hand from his face with a raised eyebrow at the idea, he looked at her seriously, until a small and cheeky little smirk started to appear. "Alright, if you think you've had it with watching the bilge rats, what would you _rather_ be doing?" He questioned jokingly. She stared at him with her usual glower, and he waved at her face with his hand. "Alright alright...". Looking off into the jungle, he thought for a moment. "Well…If you really think you're up to it…Why don't you go get some fruit or something? We're running low on food, and we'll be needing dinner tonight." He said, hoping he wouldn't regret letting her out of his sight. She was the cabin boy. Or rather the cabin **girl**. None of the crew members really knew about her parents or nothing since she never talked about it, but when she ran on board begging to join, what else could he have done? She had looked like a runaway as it was, and he wasn't going to say no to let her just wander the London streets with all those back alleys and shady figures. He had to remember that one day maybe SOPHIE would be like her. That had been a scary thought, but he had a new respect for women now that he was the father of one and all. The cabin girl's face lit up, and she said "I've been up to it ever since I got on this chunk of sea wood!" and turned, running off. "DON'T FORGET A BUCKET FOR THE FRUIT!" He yelled, but she was already long gone. Shaking his head, he turned towards the captain's quarters. He needed some rest. Managing an entire ship was rather bothersome. And tiring.


	2. Morning Sunshine

SON OF TARZAN

SON OF TARZAN

_Author's Note: Sorry it's taking so long for the chapters to update. School's almost out and I still kinda have some bad grades that I need to get up. Anyway, here's chapter two…_

Chapter Two—Morning Sunshine

"Where in the bloody hell did you find all of this Gwendolyn?" asked a bewildered Captain as the cabin girl set down a bag full of food. "The stuff was basically falling from the trees. Why?" she asked, stretching her arm from carrying the big bag of bananas all the way back to the ship, looking exhausted. It was dark out now, and every crew member was sitting in or out of patched up tents around a large campfire. "I heard they tasted good dried, cooked-boiled even." She added. A roper walking by gave a look of disgust and said "Who'd ever-a heard of BOILED bananas you crazy ol' git?" as he walked by. Throwing the man a dirty look, she stuck her tongue out when he turned his back on her. "Bananas don't just grow EVERYWHERE Gwen." The Captain said, trying to get her attention again with a bit of worry in his eyes. His stomach tightened. "You didn't find another campsite and steal this stuff, did you? Because if you did-"

"Who else would be on this island? We're near Africa. Everyone else is THERE, not HERE." Gwen snapped. Folding her arms, she said "Geez. No thanks, no grand welcome back for bringing home dinner, just a stick in the side." Frowning, the Captain sighed. "Alright…As long as you swear you found them, I suppose it's alright." He said with a sour note as Gwen picked out her own ripened yellow fruit and started peeling it. Stuffing just about half of it in her mouth, she looked back at him. "Ov CORFE I d'd." Scratching his neck, the Captain looked at the bag…."Maybe we were closer to the tropics then I figured. Maybe I should check that map again…." He mumbled to himself.

"Whu e'eer. Mm go'in t' gu look round." Gwen said, swallowing the first half of her banana and starting on the second half. "No you ain't. We need to stick together at night. Poachers might be hanging around here." The old Captain said. "Sam. You are bloody paranoid." The cabin girl said, folding her hands behind her neck after finishing her food. "Can I go back to the-" "No. We're all sleeping out here. Go back to your tent."

Sauntering off with a dark look in her eyes, the moody teen disappeared inside a rather dirty and extra patchy tent, closing the tent flaps behind her in a way that others would slam a door.

"And don't even think about sneaking on board when I go back to sleep." He yelled after her while peeling his own banana. Looking around at his crew, he sighed. "Is she the worst or what? Teenagers are nightmares."

"Morning sunshine. The weather is 82 degrees Fahrenheit, and boy is it a lovely day outside. Why don't I drag you out to take a look!"

Groaning as the cheery, annoying voice of her friend James echoed in the cloth of her tent, Gwen turned over, hugging her scrap of a blanket close. Cocking his head to one side, the handsome brown headed boy smirked. "No? Don't make me dump you in the ocean."

"Shut up….Go away…." She grumbled in a whiney voice, smushing her face into her bag. Almost choking on it as a large hand grabbed her slim ankle, Gwen yelled as she was pulled out of her tent with one swift movement. Arms curled around her back and her knees, and she was picked up awkwardly bridal style as James laughed loudly, starting to run to the water. "NO!" Gwen shrieked, struggling like a mad man. For the cook of the ship, he was stronger then he looked. "Let me go!" She yelled, finally managing words differing from 'ah' or 'no'. "Okay." He said flatly, dropping her. Giving a little gasp, she hit a solid surface of water, and went under, a strong taste of what seemed like three year old salt gunking up her throat and coating her tongue. It was disgusting.


	3. Left Behind

Author's Note: Wow

_Author's Note: Wow. I got two reviews on the same day. I think I'm gonna cry. Thanks for looking at this, let alone reading it. I'm trying to add more chapters so that readers don't get p.o.ed at me for not updating. Like I said, school gets out on the 19__th__ of June, so once I'm free I'll be updating a lot more…..I hope. Oh. If you catch any spellings of __the__ as __t-e-h__ in here, tell me so I can shoot myself. I'm trying to make this looked a bit more organized too. If the double spaced thing isn't working out, yell and me, and I can shoot myself for that too. Oh. And I'm submitting chapter four after I submit chapter three of Treasure Planet so that story doesn't get behind. Just a warning._

SON OF TARZAN

Chapter Three—Left Behind

Wringing out her sock and looking over with furry at her friend, who now had a black right eye, she pulled back her sock to see the damage report. "This water tastes worse then the sewage back in _England_." She said in disgust, putting the soggy sock back on her foot, and sighing. She was covered in gold colored sand from head to foot. She had never seen any kind of sand like this before. Back in England, all the sand was gray or black, and was at least an inch long.

Maybe it was rocks and not sand.

Shrugging, she pulled off her other sock and repeated the same procedure. "So why are you up so early?" she asked to finally break the hateful silence between the two. Glancing over at her with a hesitant and cheeky grin, he said "It's past noon. Everyone else went out on an exploration. They left me here to deal with you." "You say that as if it's a bad thing." She said slowly. "Well just lookit what I had to do to get you to wake up." He pointed out. "You could have thought of something better." She snapped, wincing. Salt was still in her throat, and it was scratchy…..The water here had extra salt, that was for sure, and she didn't like it. It was painful, and it had the strong taste of seaweed mixed in with it. James didn't seem too affected by it though. However she did remember him saying something about living in Africa at some point. Maybe every coastal area had water like this and she was just an idiot. "Well are we gonna catch up with them?" she asked, pulling off her sleep-wear sweat-shirt and trying to wring it out as best she could as well.

Looking back at her with his one good eye, he said "You must be joking." with a little laugh. "They left at dawn. They must be miles away by now, battling poachers of something."

"For Chris sake, there aren't any POACHERS here. We're on an island, not a nationally protected forest!" Gwen snapped, and James rolled his eyes. "I was kidding." He said simply, as if it was plain as day. Maybe it was and she was just being sensitive. She sure felt sensitive. "Want to go look around?" James asked with a yawn, cleaning his nails. "Unless you're too scared." He added with a sneer. Mimicking him with a sneer of her own, she got up, water sloshing in her shoes. "Sure. Maybe it'll get me dried off. Want a banana?"

Getting up, the two teenagers trudged back to camp, water sloshing in their heels, Peeling bananas, Gwen pulled her shoe off to dump out water, and said "Which side are we aiming for? East or West?"

"How about we just go wherever."

"Sounds good to me I guess. But if we get lost we're screwed."


	4. Twenty Questions

Author's Note: Okay, I know it's been like…Over a month since my last update

_Author's Note: Okay, I know it's been like…Over a month since my last update. I'm really, reeaally sorry! Remember how I said I had some bad grades I needed to get up? I kind of only got two of them up, so I kinda have summer school for a failed class. I won't be on much, but I'll try to update as much as possible. And about updating the next chapter in Treasure Planet first? This one was already done, so I'm just gonna go ahead and update this. I wrote this while half asleep too….So I dunno if it's good, ha ha…Sorry again that it took me so long to update. Here's chapter four of Son of Tarzan._

SON OF TARZAN

Twenty Questions

Laughing, James rested against a tree to keep himself from falling over and busting a lung as Gwen tripped over a log root. Luckily the thorn covered bush had gone to her rescue or she'd have smacked face first into the ground. Jumping up with a yell of pain, thorns covering her face, she winced, stepped backwards and slipped only to land in a puddle of rain water, which made James attack of laughter harder. Soaking wet, Gwen looked over at James with a look that could probably kill normal people. But of course, he wasn't normal. He was a cook on a trader's ship that was a freak of nature, thus, seeing her look so sour only added to the hilarity he found in the current situation. Sitting up and feeling her Face for Thorns, Gwen winced, flicking them aside. Making a muffled snort, James walked over, holding out a hand. "Sorry. It's just we left thirty minutes ago and you're already tripping all over the place." He said with a much quieter laugh this time.

Sticking her nose in the air, Gwen got up herself. "Guess it's gonna take a while to dry out now." James smirked.

Looking over at him, she grumbled. "Let's just keep going, before I find a good reason to beat you to a bloody pulp." She snapped, in a bad mood after all those painful thorn-pulling minutes in a puddle of water. Following as she stomped off, James just shook his head, chuckling under his breath.

"So….Why is the sky blue, then?" Gwen asked, jumping off a tree branch and landed back on the mossy ground. A few feet away, James yawned, swatting at a bug that had decided to follow him around.

"That's an easy question. Because God liked the color blue." He said between his yawn, and he leaned forward, trying to keep away from the buzzing bug that had started to get annoying.

Looking over at him, Gwen smirked. "This Twenty Questions game isn't fun if you keep giving me stuff like that."

Looking over at her, James straightened up again, looking serious. "That's because you aren't asking the right questions." He said in a solid, firm tone. "Twenty Questions isn't for the sky, or anything. It's supposed to be things you wanna know about the person you're playing it with."

Staring at his seriousness towards the topic, Gwen blinked, confused. Feeling an immense change in the atmosphere, she looked away quickly, and said "We've been walking for a long time. It's definitely past noon. We should head back."

Walking down the small path they made, she heard him before she felt him grab her arm, and turned around just in case he tried to do something funny, like a sneak-attack face punch or what-not. Pulled back by his yank, she looked at him questioningly with a bit of a punkish glare. "What the hell are you doing, James?" She snapped. She didn't really like the game Twenty Questions much anymore……He was taking it really weirdly. If weirdly was even a word. "You know what I'm doing, Gwen." He said in a smooth, calm voice. That REALLY freaked her out. "Let go. We need to head back." She said flatly, cutting him off before things got bad.


	5. The Trees Have Eyes

**_Authors Note: Okay, well my summer class ends August seventh, and then I'm FREE to have a real summer. I'll be MUCH better after that due date. I'm really sorry this is taking so long. Trust me….I'm not having fun._**

Chapter Five: The Trees Have Eyes

Letting go of her arm after a few moments, James sighed to himself in annoyance…."Alright. Let's head back then." He said in a testy tone. Trudging past her, he shook his head, pushing up his sleeves as he went. Rolling her eyes, Gwen whirled around after him.

"Aw, c'mon James. What're you gettin' all pissed off about, huh?" She asked, walking after him.

"I'm sorry I didn't play the game right, but don't you think you're being ridiculous here?"

Ignoring her, James looked up at the sky. "I think it's past noon. Past three or so maybe. We should've gone back hours ago." He muttered, not really caring if she heard or not.

It was hard on a lad, getting shut down before even getting started.

Trotting to keep up with her crew friend, Gwen yawned loudly, looking up at the sky as well. "Huh. You're probably right." She said lamely before looking off to the side. Why the hell had he gotten so mad? Men were strange things to Gwen. She had grown up as one, and even though she knew she'd never understand WOMEN, men were fairly unpredictable as well. They got those girlie mood-swings just as much as any babe in town.

Pulling out a banana, she peeled it, tossing the peel away carelessly while taking a large bite. "You don't know the meaning of manners, do you?" James asked, looking at her lazily. Eying him with a heavy mouthful, Gwen shook her head, giving a cheeky sneer. At least she didn't get mad when people played games the wrong way.

"Ok….I'm pretty sure we just went this way." Gwen said in a bored voice. Groaning in aggravation, James just hung his head. Looking over at him, she sighed.

Walking up, she patted him on the back like they were old timer friends. "Hey, think of it this way. We've got a whole month to find that ship before they dock without us, eh?" She said, giving a reassuringly wide grin. Looking over to her slowly, James whimpered, stumbling away dramatically before leaning against a tree in surrender.

"Who are you kidding? It's pointless to search that long. We won't survive the NIGHT."

"Well then you wait here. I'll find them and come back for you." Gwen said in a curt manner, bored of his weird attitude.

Standing up straight again, James looked at her in bewilderment. "SPLIT UP? That's a stupid idea! You'd die faster then I would out here!" He said. Blinking, taken aback at his rudeness, Gwen clenched her fists. "Okay, then how about this. You go off in one direction, me in another, and we'll see who gets there first. Loser dies in the jungle." She spat in a fast hiss before turning and kicking up dust as she ran off into the crowded wood. Getting up with a tired groan and running after her, James yelled "Gwen! GWEN, GET BACK HERE!" starting to feel panic. Breaking through a clump of trees, he stopped with a surprised yell, wobbling on unstable ground. Taking a step back he paused, staring out over a cliff. Gasping as mist surged toward him and around him, he was soaked in seconds, and he wasn't even close to what appeared to be a monstrous waterfall. It was extremely powerful. Just looking at it made time slow down around him. It was almost as entrancing and it was horrifying….He didn't even want to imagine falling off of it…."Gwen….?" He asked, pulling at his tunic collar nervously.

"Stupid…..James! And the poachers, and the-Rats!" Gwen hissed, stuffing her hands into her pockets. She hated fighting with James. It brought out the worst in her. She didn't really know why, but being around him when _he_ was angry made _her_ angry. They must have been long-lost twins, connected by mind power or something, doomed to share emotion for all eternity. That had to be it. It was the only logical explanation. Running a hand through her hair, she looked around her surroundings. Practically all she saw was greenery. Everywhere. Being a woman from Britain, she knew that she was supposed to be thinking 'Oh how lovely! What a _perfect_ place for a sit-in. And some tea, with biscuits!', but truthfully, she hated gardens and outdoors. And tea made her sick. Biscuits were nice though.

Feeling a shiver run down her spine, Gwen snapped around, her hair flying from her sudden choice of action. Looking around carefully, she narrowed her eyes…..Turning back around, she thought about her situation for a moment. Lots of animals lived in jungles, right? It was probably just a chipmunk. Pulling a string of vines to get by, a snake dropped to the ground, making Gwen yell. Jumping back with a bit more of a girlish shrill that she knew she had in her, she looked around wildly for it, but it was off, slithering away like she had disturbed the Peace or something. Hearing scuffling sounds, she snapped back around, looking at the tall, towering jungle trees, scanning the branches….Seeing a dark form dash behind a fairly thick tree's base about twenty feet up on a moss-covered branch, she tried to catch what it was before it disappeared to no success. "Who's there?" She said in an echo, standing her ground and putting her hands on her hips. "I know you're there!" She snapped when the jungle grew silent again, a wide grin on her face like that of a child who had finally found the last person in Hide and Seek. Looking at the same spot for what felt like decades, she frowned…."Hello?" Walking around the tree to the back of it, she eyed the spot….No one-or thing, was there…."Huh…." Putting a hand to her chin, she looked around once more….The jungle must have been messing with her. It had probably just been a bird. A really big bird.

That liked to climb around on trees…Remembering she was supposed to still be mad at James, she felt a large head ache coming on.

Kicking a stump, the dark haired teen swore in a flourish of languages. Sitting down on the ground, she pulled off her boot, looking at the damage. Not bad. She now knew she could kick stumps and get away without bruising.

Leaning back against a tree behind her, Gwen sighed, closing her eyes….."Why is the sky always so blue….." She whispered, feeling herself getting sleepy. She knew James was never gonna find her. He'd go back to camp, complain, and then she'd sneak back in later. Inhaling slowly, she sighed, closing her eyes slowly.

Grumbling, Gwen turned her head to the side, shifting. Feeling something smooth and soft leaning in and resting against her cheek, she paused, stiffening……Moving to lift her hand, the thing that was against her face quickly disappeared. Opening her eyes fast, she sat up, staring ahead of her.

Nothing was there.

And it was dark out.

She sat up slowly, getting off the stump and dusting herself off in a routine sort of way. Turning towards the sky, she yawned….."James is gonna be so pissed." She muttered while folding her arms as a shiver ran down her spine, making that be the second time that day. Taking a step she slipped, catching herself before she fell down. Looking down fast, she pulled her foot back. Something dark was dripping off the bottom of her boot…Looking down, she noticed the dark 'something' was a large puddle on the leafy ground coverage, with a trail leading from it. Raising an eyebrow, she followed the black trail with her eyes…Which settled on a large lump. Gulping, she walked over to it slowly…"James?" She whispered in a husk, clearing her throat.

No answer.

"James!" She said a bit louder, reaching out to the lump on the jungle floor. Shuffling slowly and in an odd angle, what looked to be it's arm dragged out and padded the ground. Slumping up, it's shoulder blades stuck out, a tail uncurling into the air. "James…..? Since when did you have a tail?" She said stupidly in a shaky voice, her eyes widening. Pulling back, she fell over for real that time, dark liquid splashing as her feet slipped out from under her. Yelling, she smacked the ground. Looking up, she shrank low, rasping. The lump had four legs, a tail, and was trying to drag itself towards her like it's life-and maybe it's stomach ache-depended on it. Scrambling backwards, she hit something. Looking back wildly, it seemed the stump she had kicked that afternoon still had a grudge against her. Grabbing it, she pulled herself on top of it and stood up, flattening herself against the tree right behind it where just minutes ago she had been sleeping.

The creature clawed the stump, pulling itself up, just a yard away from her feet. Thinking fast, she turned towards the tree. Dogs couldn't climb trees right? The thing had to be three times bigger than any dog SHE'D ever seen, but it was worth a try. Reaching for a branch, something shifted. Seeing eyes, she screamed, jerking backwards. Falling past the creature and back to the ground, she groaned, rubbing her shoulder. Looking up, the creature lunged at her. Screaming this time till she was nearly hoarse, the last thing that really went through her mind was 'I hate it when James is right.' And as she waited for her eminent death, the only thing that DID happen was a roar so loud that she felt like her ruddy eardrums had busted. Falling backwards as a paw slammed against her face, she hit the ground, a furry tail wrapping around her neck.

Thrashing, the creature snarled while choking and gargling about something until the noises died down, and silence blanketed Gwen with foreboding. Sitting up, she threw the tail from her as fast as she could. Shaking, she got to her feet and looked around. It was so dark out….Where had those pair of eyes gone? An idea occurred to her. "James?! I KNEW it was you! Nice joke. Real funny, I get it." Stepping forward, paws shoved into her back, making her crash to the ground, her lungs collapsing. Claws sunk into her back, and she felt her body go limp. Staring to her side, she tried to think, but her mind kept slipping away...

**_Aaaand it's midnight. Sorry! I can't think, and I don't want to ruin this story any more then I already have by trying to write epic parts while half asleep. Right about now I want to strangle myself. I might re-write this entire story...Review and tell me how much I did wrong. I know it isn't good because I've been so busy I've been panicking and trying to put up some chapters late at night. And I don't think at night...Trust me..._**


	6. Meeting New Friends

Chapter One- The Allies

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Sitting up with a jolt and throwing a bundle of warm covers away from her, Gwen slouched forward, a shiver running through her spine. Mixed in with her heavy breathing, a deep intoxicating feeling built up over her wide eyes as if she had been sleeping for centuries.

"Oh goodness!"

Hearing a loud crash Gwen shot up, straight as a ruler and looking towards the area the yell had come from with a crick of her neck. Giving a small gasp, she paused before she caught what going on. She was…In a wooden cabin.

The wooden planks were a rich color, and all the furniture (A dresser, a table, etc) were also the same type of wood. Someone was very good at wood carving that was sure. Following the new environment around her to a chair that was flipped over on the ground, she raised an eyebrow, her head turning to the side as a pair of legs hit the ground. Watching a lump move around hastily across the floor as if struggling to sit up, she raised her other eyebrow too.

The lump turned out to be a red headed woman, who found her feet quickly and stood up dusting her skirt off. Well. It was sort of a skirt. Her clothing was a bit…Primitive. Looking exhausted and embarrassed the woman heaved a sigh. "Oh-Uh-Good morning!" the stranger said hastily with a deep inhale, brushing her hair behind a dainty ear.

"What?" she asked with a kind face, looking at her the way a mother would be looking at her ill child after she didn't answer her welcome greeting.

Staring at her, Gwen shook herself out of the surprise at seeing such an odd looking woman at first sunrise. "…Who're you?" she asked the woman flatly. Grabbing her hand firmly and shaking her entire arm, the woman said "My name's Jane! I'm so sorry about last night!"

"What happened last night?" Gwen asked, her eyes widening as she looked 'Jane' up and down. Blinking, a dawn of understanding rose over Jane's face.

"Oh no no, nothing like THAT, ha ha ha...Haaa…" Looking away from the teenager, she gave a small cough. "Anyway. I brought you some clothes, so come down for breakfast when you're decent." Jane said with a beam before walking out through a door, her feet thudding down what Gwen presumed to be a set of wooden stairs.

"...Nothing like WHAT?" Gwen muttered, rolling her eyes while she got out of the bed.

* * *

"And she just lunged out of bed like she was having a bloody nightmare! I was beginning to think she'd lost her mind until she turned around and asked who I was."

"Hmm…Maybe it was trauma. Stress. It could have just been the willies! I mean, we DO look sort of-Well, sort of…BarBARIC for goodness sake!"

Hearing laughter (Mostly just from one voice, which sounded old and weary, yet jolly at the same time) Gwen pressed her bare feet on the surface of the cold landing. Heads turned, and two new faces met the teenagers' poor nerves. A very old man who looked…In seriously good shape, and a man who looked like he'd been running and doing weights his entire bloomin' life. He also looked incredibly handsome and wise for a man who could've only been in his early or mid 40's. Then again, maybe his mid-life crisis had just come early or something.

Feeling rather stupid, Gwen raised a hand loosely.

"What's up?"

* * *

_Author's Note: It's almost Thanksgiving! I can't wait for those sugar cookies, and those mashed potatoes, and that turkey, and that…Well. You get the idea. Have a great Holiday you guys! Another one's coming up, sorry for the shortie!_


	7. Rejected

"What's....Up?" The handsome elder man repeated, turning to Jane with a strong eyebrow curved in question. Shrugging, Jane said "Don't look at ME. I've been in this jungle for YEARS. You think I'm qualified to know all the teenage slang nowadays?" Laughing, she walked up to Gwen, patting her shoulder. "I mean back in my day the cool thing to say was pish-posh, snoozkel, and top-a! You look like a top-a cream today, if ya catch my draft!" She joked, elbowing the confused, wide eyed girl in the side. Staring blankly, Gwen didn't respond.....

What the hell? No. She didn't catch Jane's drift. She didn't even get what a top-a was. But seeing as every other person (minus the cool, 40 year old guy) was laughing, she opened her mouth and said hesitantly, "Ha ha." in a high jibber.

Patting her on the back, Gwen rasped at the force as the woman walked back over to the group. Her redish brown hair swinging behind herself, she turned back around and put a hand on the handsome mans shoulder. "This is my husband, Tarzan. And this old snoozkel to my left is Daddy."

"Should I call him that?" Gwen asked, her shoulders slumping in sarcasm.

Jumping, 'Daddy' bounced, "Oh pish-posh! You can call me grandfather! After all, it's not like you'll be leaving, bein' a ship-wreck, or a wash-up and all, ha ha!" Looking sick, Gwen put a hand to her neck..."Wait. Since when was I a ship-wreck?" she asked, eying them. "Did you guys ruin Sam's ship or somethin'? 'Cuz if you did, I swear to God I'm gonna take a needle and-" "Well how ELSE could you have gotten here? No one knows where this place is, and no one has ever come here." Jane intercepted just before things started to get nasty. "Well my ship mates are scowering the jungle right now but-" "SHIPMATES?!" Jane and 'Grandfather' shrilled, pressing their faces together as they nearly trampled each other to get in front of the teenager. Glowering, Gwen said...."Yeah. You know. Kind of takes a lot of people to make a ship go in the right direction and stuff."

Looking at each other, Jane and her father leaned back once more...."Well it's just...This island has a lot of uh...Surprises. And those surprises have had bad experiance with the last to come here. We don't even like the idea of a ship here. It...Disrupts the balance of things." intertwining her fingers, Jane looked guilty and depressed. "It....It would just be best if you could tell your crew to leave as soon as possible. They aren't gorilla hunters or anything are they?" Folding her arms in the heat, Gwen shook her head. "Nah, we're a trader ship." "What kind of trader?" "You know. Clothes, and...stuff like that I think. I dunno, when I signed up I didn't look at what the ship was offering."

Sighing in relief, Jane said "Tarzan can take you back to shore when you're ready." Nodding, Gwen didn't ask questions. It's not like she wanted to stay here. It was a cool place, but if these people wanted to her to leave....Why not.

"Ooh, we're sorry! It was really very nice meeting you and everything, but we don't want to upset everybody else!" Jane said again, apparently too guilty to leave things as they were. Getting an idea, she said "How about we show you around before you go? We could-" "That's okay, thanks though."

Her face dropping in disappointment as Gwen turned around, the teenager said "One of my friends is probably running around camp right now, begging a search party. He probably things I'm dead meat at the moment."

"O-oh...Well....I suppose that's a proper reason then...." Jane mumbled, downcast. Curling her hands into fists at her sides, Gwen looking down, her back facing them. She shoved everyone near her away. She didn't like company. It only stabbed her in the back later on. Besides she didn't need anyone but herself. Though she had always wanted a dog.....In fact when she was a kid she had asked for one every Christmas. Boy had she been stupid back then.

At the handle to a wooden door, she turned the knob. She was surprised that it was in fact metal. Maybe they weren't as barbaric as they claimed to be...."Wait! Tarzan could still take you to camp, if you want." Looking back around, Gwen said awkwardly "Uh...It's alright, thanks though." God, she was like a broken record. "But I don't suppose you could point me in the right direction?"

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"It's dangerous to let her go out into the jungle alone like that. What are we going to do? What if she gets eaten by ants-or an elephant?!"

Pacing back and forth, Tarzan and her father watched her for a while before glancing to each other with a grimace as hse turned to the two of them. "I mean what were we thinking, just letting her go off on her own? She doesn't know the jungle like we do. There are snakes, and spiders, and monkeys, and LEOPARDS!" Throwing her hands in the air and looking a tad insane Tarzan stood up, grabbing her small hands in strong tan ones of his own. "Jane." He said. She was almost calm in an instant. Lifting her chin, he smiled. "She choose to go by herself. We can't change that, it was her decision. She'll be fine." Sighing, she gave a crooked grin. " You always know just what to say, don't you?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his bare waist. Patting her hand, Tarzan smiled as well. "Just as long as she doesn't go near the Cliff, the ant hills, the leopards den, the swamp, or any of the other danger zones she'll be just fine." Opening her eyes wide, a distraught look sank into Jane's face.

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Author: I'm back! Summer vacation is almost here, and Gwen meets Korak in the next chapter. Finally, I can start the actual PLOT. I've been getting irritated by the lack of steady action in the chapters so far. But the next chapter's teh turning point! 


	8. The Toucan Menace

Sighing, Gwen groaned, leaning against a tree. Now what? It was past midday, and she wasn't anywhere NEAR shore. How did she know? The tree she was leaning against had taken forty minutes to climb. Looking at her hands, she pulled a splinter out before flicking it away lazily and shutting her eyes. And all she'd seen was forestation. Maybe she should have let that 'Tarzan' man take her to shore. She probably would have been there hours ago. Looking down at the ground she closed her eyes half-way....They wouldn't let her off the ship anymore after this one. Sam would lure her into his cabin room with sweet cakes and chuck her in the closet, feed her meals from a hole in the wall till they reached shore, and then dump her butt on the next ship back to England. Giving another groan, she slid down the trunk, hitting her head against the tree trunk painfully.

Feeling something warm brush her face, she opened her eyes with a snap just in time to see something large above her disappear into the branches of the tree she was leaning against. Alarmed, she jumped to her feet and twisted around so fast she fell over her own feet and entangled herself on the ground with a yell. Hearing something breath in a draw, her eyes widened. Yeah. The thing was so close she could hear it BREATH. Her heart pounding, she scrambled to her feet, dusting herself off. Looking around, she clenched her shaking hands into fists. Really it was just to make herself feel tough. Like she could defend herself against a giant eighteen foot monster or something. And it worked-a little. Her shoulders shaking she turned, the jungle whirling around her. She was stranded in a world completely different than the one she knew. Everywhere she looked there was something new, something terrifying, ready to leap out at her and end her life it felt. Why had she ever left camp? ANd why was she acting like such a scardy cat? Maybe because there was actually something to be scared of here. In London the only threat she had to face was people. But here, in this jungle.....You saw things. Things no man had ever seen before. You were in the unknown world, the little blank parts of the map not yet drawn out. And as she found herself in deep thought, trying to trick herself into thinking this wasn't as scary as it seemed, something leapt out at her. Her eyes as wide as dinner plates, she screamed like a little girl, throwing her hands to her face as a petite little bunny hopped across the trail she'd made earlier that day. Swallowing hard as it stopped to glare at her for disturbing the peace, she stilled. Giving an irritated snort that was about as scary as a pink mongoose, it continued on it's way as if she was an irritating bus driver that hadn't used it's turning signal or something.

Backing up, she sighed. Her fear was gone just like that. A bunny? A BUNNY is what she'd been scared of. "Pfft!" Cracking her fingers, she rolled her eyes. "What was I afraid of in THIS? They called this place dangerous? It shouldn't even be called a jungle."

Well. Now she was just being ridiculous. Or maybe she was trying to make up for that little girly shriek she'd managed earlier. After all, Gwen did NOT shriek. She couldn't. She hadn't been able to scream in such a high pitch since childhood.

Until now that is. She didn't even know how she'd done that. It was like a city girl had jumped into her body for a moment and taken over her lung....Absorbtion. Or whatever. Looking down, she let her hands fall to her side. Turning she stared dully at a large bush for a few seconds. Multi-seconds.

Brushing a hand through her hair, she twirled a strand in her hand....."I wonder if he's looking for me..." she muttered. She felt like she'd be stuck here for the rest of her life. She was so desperate she was wishing JAMES was out and about looking for her. Hearing a crack, she frowned, her eyes focusing on the bush she had been staring blankly at for a while. Seeing something move, she raised an eyebrow. Another bunny perhaps? Lifting a hand carefully, she cut off her breath for a moment.....Pulling apart the branches quickly, a toucan yiped, flapping it's wings and digging away from her. Blinking, she paused....Why was a TOUCAN in a BUSH. Stepping around the bush she lifted more of it's branches. Seeing her, the toucan chirped in alarm again, hopping around in the net of branches in a panic. Apparantly it hadn't expected her to follow it. Which just made the chase all the more entertaining. bursting through the bush and flying off into a tree. Gwen watched as it perched itself on a branch ten feet above her head. Looking down at her with a bird-sneer, Gwen gave a laugh as it fluffed out it's sleek, prize-winning feathers. "I've been climbing trees since before you were even BORN, birdie. You're goin' down!"

Grabbing a branch, she pulled herself up the trunk, wondering why she was even doing this. Probably because it kept her mind off the problem at hand. Not even breaking a sweat, Gwen licked her lips, looking from the trunk to the toucan. It was looking around the ground. Probably wondering where she'd gone off to. Creeping towards it on the branch, she reached out a shaky hand when it sqawked, finally noticing her. Flying up a few more feet, she climbing and snatched at it. But it escalated what had to be thirty more feet and landed on an extremely thin branch. It was near the top of the tree now. Sighing, she grumbled. "Close that time." Heading up once more, she started talking to herself to keep up the determination. This game of 'catch the shiny bird' was becoming boring quickly.

"Okay toucan, twenty questions, and don't even THINK of asking me why the sky's blue." She called up to it as she grabbed a branches middle. It had to be as big as two pythons tied together, and she could barely get her arm around it's width. Swinging a leg forward and getting up after a couple minutes of struggle, she hissed at the effort that had taken, resting a bit. "Okay, me first." Rasping for air, she swallowed, thinking.

"You get a lot of dates with that raindow thing you got goin' on?"

Glaring at her, the toucan chirped, sticking it's beak in the air.

"I'll take that as a no."

Glaring at her the toucan opened it's sharp beak in wa , and she put her hands up. "I mean a yes." she corrected, reaching for the next branch.

* * *

"Uuugh! Stupid bird, I'll kill you when I finally get up there!" Groaning, Gwen looked around. She was almost there. Just a few branches away. And she was also extremely high up. As in so high up she would do more than just break her neck if she fell from where she was now. She'd flatten out like a pancake. Just below the toucan, the excitement flooded back into her eyes. Silencing her complaints, she crouched down slowly.....This had to be perfect. She'd been planning her tactics of bird retrieval the entire time she'd been climbing. Putting her arms under the bird in slow motion to make it look like she wasn't moving, she blinked, everything else around her gone. All that mattered....Was the bird. As her arms were finally right under the small branch, the toucan started to look around. Her heart thudding, she reacted swiftly and with haste, snatched it around it's middle as it sqawked like a mad bird, unable to open its wings. "HA!" she yelled, her triumph echoing through the jungle. Hearing a whirlwind of wings, birds burst through the coverage below her at her loud yell, startled into flight. Gasping, she stumbled backwards, the toucan taking that moment to escape and coalese with the other birds swirling around her in the tree. It was like a tornado of color, and her hair flew around as she stepped back. Feeling air beneath her foot, her eyes widened as she misjudged the branch...Aaand fell off the tree.

She knew this was going to happen. People don't just go climbing fifty foot trees to catch a toucan in a bush unless they're suicidal. And she had never been a good tree climber in the first place. And if she said she was, she'd been lying. Maybe she just really wanted to prove James right. She would die in the jungle much sooner than he would. But not in some tragic, King Kong sort of way, oh no. She'd go off with a bang. You know, like in the Darwin Awards, only better. Step into a crocodile swamp to try and make friends, go fishing for paranas-that sort of thing. Seeing a large blur land on the branch above her, something lunged down as she fell. Staring as she was grabbed around the middle, Gwen let out the sound people only make when they're distraught and out of breath as she was slammed up against the trunk of a tree criss-crossing the one she had been climbing. Slipping down the trunk and touching a branch with the balls of her feet, something landed in front of her, it's arms slamming the trunk on either side of her at it's force of impact. But it stopped itself before it hit her, and she saw muscle bulge at the effort. The first thing she noticed as she looked at it was that it had human eyes.


	9. Meeting with a Greeting

Staring at the smooth chest of a man, Gwen felt frozen, as if she was part of the tree she was so painfully crushing herself against to stay as far from the person before her as possible. She was also in shock. And after a moment of silence, the most inhuman voice she had ever heard drifted along her nape, trailing past her ears. It was smooth, low...And unnatural.

"That would have been a long way down..."

As she looked up, the man who had saved her turned to look at her as well. He looked humorous before he'd seen her face, but his face slacked when her eyes met his. He looked dumbfounded. Like she was a freaky, one-eyed creature he'd never seen before. And she stared back at him in the same way. Why? It could have been the fact that he was only wearing a lion cloth. That he had reeaally long dark chocolate colored hair. Or that he was extremely muscled, but not in the steroid way, in the natural way. He was still slim.

For some reason she found that weird. In society the only buff men she had seen were huge ship-workers with two-foot mustaches. Why wasn't he, y'know? And another thing was, he wasn't a man. He looked around her age-possible a few years older, at the MOST. Looking down at smooth lips as they parted in slow motion, she felt her heart skip a beat, crushing her chest. Breathing in heavily after forgetting how to for a few seconds there and possibly almost killing herself, that strange, inhuman voice washed over her again like the cold, sharp waves in the English Channel.

"...Are you alright?"

If she hadn't been so panicked, she would have noticed that he choked on his words a bit before asking that. For some reason he gave off an aura of someone you didn't want to mess with. He looked incredibly strong, after all. But one look at his face said something entirely different. A softness most people don't have. A kindness most people won't ever see in their life time.

"Uh....Ye-yee-yeah." Feeling an intense amount of pressure weighing down on her conscience randomly, she continued before he could open those godly lips of his to say anything else. "U-uh, well, thanks for the help. But I really ought t-NEED t' be goin' now, ha ha....aah..." Great. His weird accent was making her use her voice of 'mannerism' she was taught in lady school. She got out of that school pretty quick though. Shove some frogs in girls beds for a few weeks, and you'd be surprised at how much they'd want you to leave. Taking a step to the side, the boy blinked. "Whu-wait, that's not a good-" He started, when she side-stepped straight off the branch with another one of those odd girlish shrills that seemed to be accumulating in her vocal chords. Bending and grabbing her wrist beofre she fell to her death-again-the boy pulled her back up with ease. Swaying, Gwen put her arms out against his chest to steady herself. Feeling bare skin, she pulled them back quickly. "Ha ha ha!" Laughing with quick reflexes, she looked away with a roll of her eyes. "Thanks. Again..." Feeling a bit useless now, she bit her lower lip. This guy was uh....Odd. And she really wanted to be in the camp with Sam and the crew right about then. Watching her intently with electric blue eyes, the boy nodded slowly. "You're welcome..." Looking dazed for a few seconds, he shook his head, long hair swishing to and fro. "Are you alright?"

WHY was he asking her that again? She felt like a bumbling idiot, standing up in a branch fifty bloody feet in the air with NO WHERE to escape, and NO IDEA how to leave. If she could jump off the branch and survive she'd do it. This guy was weird. He kept staring at her, like he'd never seen a human before or something. "Yeah. Thanks." Getting used to his breath-taking voice by now, and also a lot more calm, she started to act slightly normal again. "Good...Why are you walking around? After last night, I had thought you would need a rest."

Her face dropping, Gwen looked at him slowly. "Why, what did you do?" She asked in a flat, accusing tone, her eyes giving off a deadly glare. Not seeming to notice, the boy said "The leopard-it almost killed you. It knocked you down and you wouldn't wake, so I had to take you to my mother."

Raising an eyebrow, Gwen scratched her head...."Uh...." Seeing his expression-a mix of extreme concern and helpfullness-she put on a fake expression of her own. "Oh yeah! Thank you so much, I thought it had gotten me there for a second!" Smiling in relief, he started talking again, but her mind was elsewhere....Leopard attack? Thinking, a crude memory slunk deep into her inner mind. Darkness, and pools of dark, warm liquid on the ground. She'd fallen into it, pressed against a tree by something that she'd thought had been someone she'd known...Coming back to reality as he stopped speaking and looked at her oddly, she said "Sorry, what was that?"

"My name is Korak. What is yours?"

Oh great. The name game. Looking around, she sighed. "...Gwen."


End file.
